Base-camp life

We’re settling in for the night…at 5 PM. Feeling tired enough from the approach (including 2.5 miles I tacked on the beginning to run back to the car for my glasses) to fall asleep soon.

Alarm is set for 12:30 for breakfast and coffee in time to start the climb at 2 am. Weather looks great, freezing around 11 am and thawing when the sunny skies warm the snow. Hopefully we are most of the way to the summit before it softens.

We made camp at around 6300′, which is maybe halfway through the series of camps that stretch from the end of the Railroad Grade Trail up to the Portal, where we get onto the Easton Glacier.

One member, who caught up to us at base camp after starting late, isn’t feeling too well in the stomach. We’ll see if he goes up or down tomorrow. The rest of us, while tired and plenty sunbathed by the clear afternoon of collecting water and making food and plans, are feeling good.

That’s about it, except the photos below. There may be a brief update tomorrow when we get back to camp — or from the summit if this bit of 4g coverage stretches up there.